Beds

One resource I've been relying on very heavily this summer is "Great Garden Companions" by Sally Jean Cunningham. I found this book in the MULCH shed and it has been an EXCELLENT resource. It may be a bit dated (it was published in 1998) but it's all about planting this in a way that they benefit each other and you don't have to use external chemicals. In her very first chapter "Getting ready to Garden" she talks about why raised beds are so important. Not only does it show CLEARLY where the paths are in your garden (because you really shouldn't walk on the beds) it allows you to build soil that is healthy, nutritious, and excellent to work with. 


The MULCH south bed had individual raised beds, however last weekend we had two HUGE thunderstorms that washed a lot of the soil into the paths. One of the many consequences of large storms (another being the flooding I experienced in my basement this weekend... where I sleep. I do so love living in a house). So I've decided to start a project of re-lifting the beds. I'm literally digging the path, but I think that the work I do will really benefit the beds in the long run. The soil isn't that good. It needs a lot of rehabilitation. And at the end of the season, I'm going to see to it that it gets plenty of compost turned into it and is properly "fluffed" (in Sally's immortal words). Ideally when you're making the paths you rake the topsoil off and onto the center of the beds. I can't do this because the soil is so dry in crusty that there isn't really a layer of topsoil that can be raked. Hence the shovel. While giving the beds the full rundown they need isn't necessarily plausible right now, I did do a lot of work on some of them and tried replanting. Hopefully with some love and care, I can get the Black Beauty Zucchini and Haogen Melon to grow. 


In the late summer, sally recommends layering materials on the beds so that they're ready to plant in the spring. I don't want to directly plagiarize her, but essentially it's like making a passive compost pile that will process over the winter. Layering greens and browns so that enzymes can go to work and seedlings will have lots of nutrients the next spring. Soil is SO tricky. It needs a lot of care and attention the first couple of years so that it can be fertile. There are tests that you can have done to see what the balance is and ph level and from there you'll know what you have to fix. It's painfully obvious when it's off though. The North bed of the MULCH garden is rich with plant life right now, and the South bed... is not. 




Today I harvested garlic scapes. Scapes are the would be flowery parts of the garlic, but you really don't want them to bloom or else energy that should go to the bulb goes to the flower so you have to break them off. There are wonderful recipes to put the scapes into (mostly pesto from what i've seen but they're essentially like chives). You can usually buy them at farmer's markets so I highly recommend trying them out!